Yesterday, I came upon an article about a couple in Parma, Ohio, who recently had to take their wedding photographer to a small claims court. Apparently, they had waited 18 months, and still hadn't seen their wedding pics. While researching this photographer, I discovered that this wasn't the first case against him!
It pays to research ALL of the vendors you are considering for your wedding, especially the photographer. Don't put yourself in a position that will lead to great disappointment for the most important milestone of your lives together.
There are several ways of doing this:
- First check the local Better Business Bureau. There, you will find how many complaints have been filed, and how quickly the photographer remedied the issue, if at all. We have been Accredited by the BBB since 2010, and also sport a A+ rating with no complaints.
- Check the popular wedding websites, like WeddingWire and TheKnot. See if your photographer is listed there, and what kind of review has been provided by the newlyweds. Be careful though, a very high volume of five star reviews in a short period of time may actually reflect fake or paid reviews. When a wedding client tells us they love our work and products, we suggest they feel free to write a review on the site they found us. We never ask, nor beg our clients to do so. So any of our reviews, whether on Facebook, WeddingWire, TheKnot, our Google Search is spontaneous as it should be.
- Ask for two or three referrals. Take the time to call them, introduce yourself, and ask them how they felt about their photographer. Was he dressed properly, show up on time, deliver what was promised, etc.
- And finally, go to Expertise.com. This is a company out of Seattle, that reviews professional services of many varieties, including wedding photographers. It's not a "paid to be included" site. You have to earn it. There, you will see how many photographers they reviewed for your city, and who made the top 20 or so from their curated list. We were surprised three years ago to learn we made the list out of 427 wedding photographers reviewed in San Antonio. 22 made the list, and we were honored to be one of them.
Your wedding photography is really the most important investment you will make for your wedding. Not the cake, dress, venue, or the food your guests will be consuming. After the guests have gone, the cake eaten, and the wedding dress packed away, what do you have left? It's your memories, and hopefully a beautiful wedding album that has documented your day!
Michael Holeda
Executive Director & Photographer
Matrix Digital Arts Photography